"Unfixable" Rotator Cuff Tears Explained

Cortney Hartman returns to The Shoulder Blueprint to share how she built a career spanning surgical technology, education, simulation training, and the medical device industry. In Part 2, she joins Dr. Caleb Davis to discuss recognizing the value of your skills, pursuing further education, and creating opportunities beyond the operating room. Cortney explains the mission behind “Beyond the Mayo” and how she helps surgical technologists map their next career move. They also take an honest look at OR culture: mentoring new staff, breaking the “eat our young” cycle, responding to surgeons who yell, and building the trust a surgical team needs. Connect with Cortney:surgicaltecheducator.com Follow Dr. Caleb Davis: @CalebDavisMD Follow the podcast: @ShoulderBlueprint Questions: [email protected] For educational and informational purposes only; not medical advice. Views expressed are our own and do not represent our employers or affiliated organizations.

What really happens inside an operating room and what does a scrub tech actually do? Dr. Caleb Davis sits down with former surgical technologist and surgical first assistant Courtney Hartman for a behind-the-scenes look at life in surgery. Courtney spent more than a decade working in cardiothoracic surgery, assisting with heart surgery, vascular procedures, trauma cases, and organ transplants. She explains how scrub techs are trained, why the best surgical technologists can anticipate a surgeon's next move, and why having the confidence to speak up can be critical for patient safety. She also shares unforgettable stories from the OR from a pair of glasses falling into an open abdomen to holding a donor heart while a surgeon sewed it into a transplant recipient. Caleb and Courtney discuss the demanding reality of surgical call, fatigue in healthcare, traumatic cases that stay with operating room staff, changes in surgical culture, teamwork in the OR, and what separates a great surgical team from an average one. They also explain what aspiring surgical technologists should know before choosing the career—and why spending a day shadowing inside an operating room might be the most important first step. Topics include surgical technologists, scrub techs, operating room careers, heart surgery, transplant surgery, trauma surgery, surgical teamwork, patient safety, medical careers, and life behind the scenes in surgery.

Robotic-assisted shoulder replacement promises extraordinary precision—but does that actually translate into a better shoulder? Dr. Caleb Davis and Dr. Justin Givens are joined by Dr. Mark Mighell, one of the early surgeons involved in the development of robotic-assisted shoulder replacement, for a deep dive into where the technology started, how it works today, and where it may be headed. They discuss how surgeons plan shoulder replacements using CT-based 3D planning, how robotic assistance can reproduce that plan with extremely high accuracy, and how haptic boundaries help surgeons prepare bone without unintentionally moving outside the planned area. They also tackle an important distinction: greater surgical precision has been demonstrated, but whether that translates into superior long-term implant survival and clinical outcomes still requires more data. The conversation covers implant positioning, surgical outliers, complex bone loss, range of motion, surgeon stress, data collection, patient safety, and why the “robot” is actually a surgeon-controlled tool rather than an autonomous machine performing the operation. This episode offers a practical look at both the promise and the current limitations of one of the most significant technological changes in modern shoulder replacement surgery. The Shoulder Blueprint is hosted by orthopedic shoulder and elbow surgeons Dr. Caleb Davis and Dr. Justin Givens. Educational content only. This podcast is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your individual condition.

Should you really wait until you’re 65 to have a shoulder replacement? For younger, active patients with severe shoulder arthritis, that traditional advice can mean living with pain for years — sometimes while becoming less active and less healthy in the process. In this episode of The Shoulder Blueprint, orthopedic shoulder surgeons Dr. Caleb Davis and Dr. Justin Givens discuss how newer approaches are changing that conversation. We break down subscapularis-sparing shoulder replacement, a technique that allows surgeons to perform certain shoulder replacements without intentionally cutting and repairing the subscapularis tendon. Because that tendon does not have to heal from a surgical repair, selected patients may be able to come out of the sling and regain independence earlier. We also discuss pyrocarbon hemiarthroplasty, particularly for younger and highly active patients who want to continue lifting, working, wrestling, practicing jiu-jitsu, or participating in other demanding activities. Along the way, we discuss implant longevity, activity restrictions, revision surgery, preserving bone for the future, patient selection, and why surgeons sometimes need to change the surgical plan based on what they find in the operating room. Shoulder replacement is evolving. For the right patient, newer materials and muscle-sparing techniques may provide options that weren’t available a generation ago. The Shoulder Blueprint is hosted by Dr. Caleb Davis and Dr. Justin Givens. Contact: [email protected] Follow Dr. Caleb Davis: Instagram, TikTok & X: @CalebDavisMD YouTube: Caleb Davis - MD Follow Dr. Justin Givens: @GivensShoulderElbow Follow The Shoulder Blueprint on Instagram: @ShoulderBlueprint You can also check out The Wellness Blueprint with Dr. Caleb Davis. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are our own and do not represent those of our employers or affiliated professional organizations. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

Robotic-assisted shoulder replacement is one of the newest technologies in orthopedic surgery—but what does the robot actually do? Dr. Caleb Davis and Dr. Justin Givens take you inside the operating room to explain how MAKO robotic-assisted reverse shoulder replacement works. They walk through the process from the preoperative CT scan and 3D surgical plan to tracking the shoulder blade, preparing the socket, and using haptic boundaries that prevent the surgeon from moving outside the planned surgical area. Most importantly: the robot does not perform the surgery on its own. The surgeon remains in complete control. The discussion also goes beyond how the technology works. Caleb and Justin examine some of the biggest questions surrounding robotic shoulder replacement: Does greater accuracy actually improve patient outcomes? Does robotics make surgery faster? Can it reduce outliers? And could the enormous amount of surgical data being collected ultimately change how surgeons determine the ideal position for a shoulder replacement? They also discuss the limitations of the technology, the importance of surgical skill and soft-tissue management, and why the true clinical impact of robotic shoulder replacement will require years of research. A practical, balanced look at where robotic shoulder replacement stands today—and where it may be headed next. The Shoulder Blueprint Hosted by Dr. Caleb Davis and Dr. Justin Givens Educational content only. This podcast does not provide individualized medical advice.